


Wings of Freedom

by Everything_Everything



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Ch 123 spoilers, Manga Spoilers, survey corps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-16 06:28:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21503383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everything_Everything/pseuds/Everything_Everything
Summary: Song Fic: When Levi awakes in the Paths, all that fills him is content.
Relationships: Implied Levi/Erwin Smith if you squint, Levi/Eren Jaeger if you squint
Kudos: 12





	Wings of Freedom

When Levi first joined the corps, they’d quickly found out he nor his companions were able to read at the level expected of teens their age. Against their wishes, Erwin enlisted them into a language arts course within the barracks. They used newspaper clippings and parchment to practice reading and writing - oftentimes creating their own stories to pass the time.

_Like the scarlet night_  
_Veiling the dark_  
_You can hide your fear_  
_Can hide my dear_

__After the deaths of his comrades, Levi found comfort in their notes to him. The tilt and curve of each letter portrayed a distinct form of expression unique to their penmanship. Isabel...Farlan..._ _

_____Lie here in your sleep_  
_In an endless dream_  
_Where I hope you can_  
_Outstretch your bloodstained wings~_

____Erwin’s death was not much of a surprise, but a shock of emotions he didn’t want to unravel. But as his eyes roved over the neatly spaced-out lettering of the coup d'était, he was forced to acknowledge the rush of bittersweet nostalgia that washed over him. Only the careful strokes of Erwin’s pen could result in a parchment so clean._ _ _ _

____His most recent momento - a letter written in haste on one of their more pleasant days - lay packed away in the briefcase he kept on base. The sharp, slanted letters and blunt choice in phrasing spoke volumes to the shortness of Eren’s patience and temper - a trait that Levi likened to himself. Every time he read the note, worry and sadness dragged across Levi’s heart like nails on a chalkboard._ _ _ _

_Like a fallen angel~_  
_Carried off by the wind_  
_Time erasing all~ that had ever been_

______There was no comfort in reading that final note from Eren. Many believe he’d finally gone off the deep end. Levi didn’t know what to believe. But like that stubborn brat, he couldn’t help but to return to that note time and time again. Perhaps it was because he, too, could imagine the feelings of longing and determination that drove Eren forward, yet drained him all the same._ _ _ _ _ _

_Into the starry night_  
_Falling back into the sky~_  
_Like a goddess please_  
_Keep holding me~_

________Maybe that’s why he resides in this strange land. Not enough light to read, but a light shining nonetheless. His consciousness grasped onto a familiar voice and pulled him back into reality. This is Eren’s doing. Their final cry for freedom._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_We’ll fly away!!!!!_  
_We’ll find a way!!!!!_  
_You can hide your fear_  
_Can hide my dear_

__________There won’t be any need for comforts after this, Levi understood. We either live or we die. No matter what…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_We’ll see the end_  
_We’ll be the end_  
_Embrace me for eternity_  
_Fly to Heaven~_

**Author's Note:**

> This is - unintentionally - my first song fic lol Started off as a headcanon about how Levi likes to read and turned into this hopeful lament. I noticed that Levi is usually the one reading notes/letters in the manga and thought it’d be kind of cute if that was actually a hobby of his. But as I wrote this, I thought of how much the OST “Red Swan” foreshadowed the events of this last arc and I just had to insert the lyrics to add more hurt/comfort feels to this tale.


End file.
